Aristocratic Life in Medieval France

Aristocratic Life in Medieval France PDF

Author: John W. Baldwin

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2002-03-18

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 9780801869129

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Modern historians have generally approached the study of medieval society through chronicles, charters, and other documents composed in Latin by members of the clergy. Although these records may be satisfactory for studying the affairs of ecclesiastics, kings, and high barons, they are inadequate for assessing the major preoccupations of the aristocracy—living extravagantly, fighting, making love, entertaining, eating and dressing ostentatiously, and, generally, earning the disapproval of the clergy. In Aristocratic Life in Medieval France, the respected medieval scholar John Baldwin undertakes a study of this segment of society using, for the first time in nearly a century, the vernacular romances written exclusively for the amusement of aristocratic audiences. Rather than attempting to encompass all of Middle Age Europe, this study selects two writers, Jean Renart and Gerbert de Montreuil, and their four romances. It focuses with depth and specificity on the discrete area of northern France during a precise period, 1190–1230. Since Jean and Gerbert framed their fictional stories with contemporary and realistic features that could be recognized by their audiences, their works provide a wealth of detail on aristocratic living. Employing such literary techniques as "reality effects" and "horizons of expectations," Baldwin successfully discerns the historical content in these romance narratives.

France in the Middle Ages 987-1460

France in the Middle Ages 987-1460 PDF

Author: Georges Duby

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 1993-12-08

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 9780631189459

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In this book, now available in paperback, he examines the history of France from the rise of the Capetians in the mid-tenth century to the execution of Joan of Arc in the mid-fifteenth. He takes the evolution of power and the emergence of the French state as his central themes, and guides the reader through complex - and, in many respects, still unfamiliar, yet fascinating terrain. He describes the growth of the castle and the village, the building blocks of the new Western European civilization of the second millenium AD.

Life in a Medieval City

Life in a Medieval City PDF

Author: Frances Gies

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2010-08-03

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0062016679

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From acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies comes the reissue of their classic book on day-to-day life in medieval cities, which was a source for George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series. Evoking every aspect of city life in the Middle Ages, Life in a Medieval City depicts in detail what it was like to live in a prosperous city of Northwest Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The year is 1250 CE and the city is Troyes, capital of the county of Champagne and site of two of the cycle Champagne Fairs—the “Hot Fair” in August and the “Cold Fair” in December. European civilization has emerged from the Dark Ages and is in the midst of a commercial revolution. Merchants and money men from all over Europe gather at Troyes to buy, sell, borrow, and lend, creating a bustling market center typical of the feudal era. As the Gieses take us through the day-to-day life of burghers, we learn the customs and habits of lords and serfs, how financial transactions were conducted, how medieval cities were governed, and what life was really like for a wide range of people. For serious students of the medieval era and anyone wishing to learn more about this fascinating period, Life in a Medieval City remains a timeless work of popular medieval scholarship.

De Vita Sua

De Vita Sua PDF

Author: Guibert (Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy)

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 1984-01-01

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780802065506

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'His [Guilbert of Nogent (d. 1124), a Benedictine monk and historiographer] "Memoirs" are equally interesting and provide precious insights into French culture of the 11th and 12th centuries.

Life in Medieval France

Life in Medieval France PDF

Author: E R Chamberlin

Publisher: Sapere Books

Published: 2022-06-20

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9781800555310

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An enthralling social history of France during the Middle Ages. Perfect for readers of Ian Mortimer, John Julius Norwich and Frances Gies. Without doubt France was one of the wealthiest and most magnificent realms of the medieval world. Gothic architecture soared to the skies, troubadours sang romantic ballads and knights jousted for chivalric honour. Yet, this was also a land where peasants served their masters with little freedom, while war, pestilence and famine threatened their lives and those of their families. E.R. Chamberlin's fascinating overview of medieval France introduces the reader to what life was like for these peasants and knights, how merchants were developing towns and guilds, in what ways Christianity imbued the thoughts of all people, and how art and architecture was developing throughout the land. Life in Medieval France is an essential book for anyone interested in learning more about both high and low society during this remarkable period.

Paris in the Middle Ages

Paris in the Middle Ages PDF

Author: Simone Roux

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2009-04-28

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 0812241592

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Centering on the streets of this metropolis, Simone Roux peers into the secret lives of people within their homes and the public world of affairs and entertainments, populating the book with laborers, shop keepers, magistrates, thieves, and strollers.

Strong of Body, Brave and Noble

Strong of Body, Brave and Noble PDF

Author: Constance Brittain Bouchard

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9780801485480

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Medieval society was dominated by its knights and nobles. The literature created in medieval Europe was primarily a literature of knightly deeds, and the modern imagination has also been captured by these leaders and warriors. This book explores the nature of the nobility, focusing on France in the High Middle Ages (11th-13th centuries). Constance Brittain Bouchard examines their families; their relationships with peasants, townspeople, and clerics; and the images of them fashioned in medieval literary texts. She incorporates throughout a consideration of noble women and the nobility's attitude toward women. Research in the last two generations has modified and expanded modern understanding of who knights and nobles were; how they used authority, war, and law; and what position they held within the broader society. Even the concepts of feudalism, courtly love, and chivalry, once thought to be self-evident aspects of medieval society, have been seriously questioned. Bouchard presents bold new interpretations of medieval literature as both reflecting and criticizing the role of the nobility and their behavior. She offers the first synthesis of this scholarship in accessible form, inviting general readers as well as students and professional scholars to a new understanding of aristocratic role and function.